Michael Jackson Beaten By ‘Boss’ On UK Charts, But Beatles Still All-Time Champs

Michael Jackson is no longer the King of Pop, at least as far as British music buyers are concerned. The late “Bad” singer placed no fewer than nine albums at the Number One spot on the U.K. charts.

That total put Michael Jackson in a tie for fifth on the all-time list of U.K. chart-toppers. And now one of the artists who was tied with Jacko has whizzed past him.

Leaving Michael Jackson in the dust with his 10th Number One album on the U.K. charts — none other that The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.

Springsteen certainly had high hopes for the chart performance of his new album, High Hopes. But whether he expected it to open at Number One in the U.K. is another question. But that is exactly what happened when the latest charts were unveiled on Sunday, according to Billboard.

According to Britain’s NME music magazine, the boss was tied at nine not only with Michael Jackson, but with Swedish 70s pop ensemble ABBA and English rock stars David Bowie and Queen.

By taking the top spot on the British chart, The Boss bumped the Ellie Goulding album Halcyon to the second spot, with Beyonce’s self-titled album bumped down to third place.

With High Hopes, Springsteen shares the distinction of 10 Number One albums in the U.K. with U2 and the Rolling Stones. But even those massive-selling groups are only in fourth place.

There are two artists who have placed 11 albums at the Number One spot on the U.K. charts. One is Robbie Williams. The other, the real King of Rock and Roll — Elvis Presley.

That means that Michael Jackson, who was already 50 years old when he died in 2009, would have needed to record six more Number One U.K. albums before reaching The Beatles’ level.

For that matter, the still very-much-alive Springsteen needs five more U.K. chart-toppers to equal The Beatles, a tall order indeed for the 64-year-old Boss.

The Beatles record of 15 Number One albums is an even more remarkable accomplishment when you consider that they released only 12 albums in their brief, eight-year recording career — and one of those, the film soundtrack Yellow Submarine, peaked at Number Three. Compilations such as 1 and live albums such as Live At The Hollywood Bowl account for the other four Number Ones.

None of that diminishes Michael Jackson and his achievement of placing nine albums in Britain’s top spot.